Golf is one of the most widely played sports in the world, with skill levels ranging from the casual participant who play the game as a hobby to full-time professionals who make a living from playing the game. Regardless of the skill level of the golfer, one of the most important parts of the golfer's game is the ability to hit a golf ball using a golf club such as a putter accurately and consistently to make the shot or “make the putt” each time. “Making the putt” is a term used by golfers to describe the golf shot where a putter is used on the greens of a golf course to hit the ball into the hole. If a golfer's putting swing or putting ability is poor, lacks consistency or is very inaccurate, the golfer's game suffers and their improvement in performance stagnates. As such, the golfer's ability with the putter is key to a player trying to improve his/her golfing game.
A number of golfing aids have been introduced to improve a golfer's putting ability, ranging from home-putting kits (for example, the Boomerang® Putting Professional) to laser putting aids (for example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,668). However, no amount of putting aids will improve the golfer's putting skill if the positioning of the golfer's hands on the putting grip are incorrect.
The most conventional method used to grip the putter correctly is called the “reverse overlap method”. In essence, this involves the golfer placing the weaker hand (left hand for right-handed golfers and vice versa) at the top of the grip and the stronger (“lead”) hand grasping the grip beneath the weaker hand. There is then, more often than not, an overlap of the index finger of the weaker hand over the little, ring, and middle finger of the stronger hand. The thumbs of both hands should be positioned in the middle of the grip and pointing down towards the club head.
There have been many attempts to develop the grip used by golfers when putting, or in fact the putter grip itself. Conventional putter grips generally comprise a grip material wound around the top of the club shaft or a pre-moulded grip. The grip may have indents or dimples, and the like on the surface of the material to aid the golfer's grip. These surface additions are thought to aid the correct positioning of the golfer's hands when gripping the club. Despite the use of such surface features, the problem of incorrect positioning of the golfer's hands on the putter grip remains prevalent, leading to inaccurate and inconsistent putting by the golfer. There have been some attempts at further improving the golf putter grip.
US Patent Publication No. 2006/0068929 discloses an oversized golf putter grip being substantially paddle-shaped and designed to be gripped by both hands where the hand positions are one on each side of the grip and directly mirror each other and where both hands may rest on the grip along side each other in a parallel relationship with respective line of each arm forming opposing sides of a substantially isosceles triangle with the shoulder line as the base. The grip includes a substantially flat surface facing upwards when the club is held during use, and a variety of surface shapes facing downwards.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,272,077 discloses a golf putter grip having a cylindrical shape and which is substantially larger than that of the shaft diameter. One of the purposes of this particular grip is described to enable the non-dominant hand to be in a muscle-relaxed position during putting while providing additional support and balance.
US Patent Publication 2002/0077191 discloses a golf putter grip, which includes an over-sized elongated cylindrical body extending from an upper end of the grip to a lower end. The lower end of the grip is substantially greater in diameter than the shaft and so a step is formed between its lower end and the shaft. The purpose of this “step” is for receiving the user's index and middle fingers of his or her forward hand on opposite sides of the shaft. The grip is also described as being optionally constructed of two components, an inner plastic sleeve and outer pliant sleeve. The grip has one flat side.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,792 discloses a golf club oversize grip kit comprising a set of covers of diverse sizes, which can be slipped over a handle of a golf club and in particular a grip of the club. The covers are described as being manufactured from a foamed synthetic resin or equivalent, which deforms under the user's grasp, conforming to the user's hand, thereby providing maximal surface area contacting the hand.
However, the problem of inconsistent and incorrect grip position on a golf club such as a putter grip remains a fundamental problem in the golfer's game. A common problem found with the putter grip of the prior art is that the golfer grips the club/putter too tight, which creates tension through the hands, arms, and shoulders. The present invention aims at resolving these deficiencies.